First Class of rotating pharmacy practice residents welcomed by Memorial Hermann

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital has welcomed rotating pharmacy residents from the inaugural class of Memorial Hermann’s Postgraduate Year One (PGY1) Pharmacy Practice Residency Program.

Pharmacy residents are not new to Memorial Hermann, but the Memorial Hermann PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency Program is unique in the fact that pharmacy residents rotate through multiple campuses to obtain a broad perspective of various pharmacy practice models. The goal is to develop competent and professional clinical practitioners through direct patient care, project management, communication, and leadership skills.

“This program is a win-win for our hospital and the residents,” said Doina Dumitru, director of pharmacy services at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands. “It allows the residents to gain valuable on-the-job knowledge in a safe learning environment while lessening the workload of our pharmacists to enable them to spend more time on complex clinical care tasks.”

The three residents Anh Vu, Andrew Himsel and Jennifer Parma will work collaboratively with a variety of multidisciplinary teams at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands, Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital, and Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital to ensure safe and effective medication use in a cost-effective manner.

Vu, based at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands, received her Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Houston and her Doctor of Pharmacy from Texas Southern University. Following residency, Anh hopes to pursue a Postgraduate Year Two specialty residency in infectious diseases or critical care.

Based at Memorial Hermann Northwest, Himsel received his Doctor of Pharmacy from Texas A&M University Health Science Center in 2014. He also has a master’s degree in business administration, which he obtained while attending pharmacy school. Himsel is interested in a Postgraduate Year Two specialty residency in internal medicine or critical care.

Parma, based at Memorial Hermann Southeast, received her Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009 and her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Houston College of Pharmacy in 2014. Interested in oncology and critical care, she is considering a Postgraduate Year Two specialty residency following completion of this residency.

One of the largest not-for-profit health systems in Texas, Memorial Hermann serves the greater Houston community through 12 hospitals and specialty programming in the tertiary, community, and ambulatory settings. This unique integrated delivery network offers pharmacy services on the leading edge of technology, extensive clinical programs, shared system formulary, and interdisciplinary collaboration using several innovative pharmacy practice models.